On the Issues

Secure the Borders & Stop Illegal Immigration
As Chairman of the Lehigh Valley Tea Party’s Immigration Committee, Dean has led the fight locally to rally support for federal immigration bills H.R. 3003 (No Sanctuary for Criminals Act) and H.R. 3004 (Kate’s Law) which passed the House of Representatives in June of last year, but are still languishing in the Senate. As our Congressman, Dean will be a key ally for President Trump is in his efforts to secure our borders including building the wall, protect American jobs, and keep us safe.

“It is an absolute travesty that these two bills have not been sent to President Trump’s desk for his signature,” said Browning. “I will urge Senator McConnell to modify or end the Senate’s ability to filibuster so we can advance President Trump’s agenda on securing our borders, building the wall and stopping criminal illegal aliens from threatening the safety of law-abiding Americans. Enough is enough.”

Take on Bureaucrats & Special Interests
During his one-term as a Lehigh County Commissioner, Browning stood up to public employee union bosses and saved taxpayers nearly $7 million a year by initiating a pay freeze and reforming the county compensation and pension system, while reducing the deficit by 65%. He also sponsored a resolution to require local politicians abide by term limits and another that would give voters final approval on government issuing debt for private sector activities, such as building a stadium or other large taxpayer-funded projects.

“President Trump ran on a platform of draining the swamp in Washington, D.C., and I want to join him in that fight,” said Browning. “We can’t expect things to change if all we do is send career politicians from Harrisburg to Washington,” said Browning. “Even at the local and county level, too many of our politicians are so interested in the next step on the political ladder that they become controlled by special interests and wealthy insiders. I have never shied away from tough fights and hard decisions. I will always act in the best interest of my constituents.”

Grow the Economy & Create American Jobs
Dean earned a masters of science degree in industrial management with a concentration in finance from Georgia Tech and has spent more than 30 years in the private sector helping to grow companies and create good-paying jobs. After starting out with Air Products and Chemicals in 1979, he has gone on to hold executive level jobs with the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of the Lehigh Valley and then with Harvel Plastics before being hired as chief financial officer for New World Aviation located at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. Following his retirement after 18 years at New World Aviation, Dean continued his commitment to serve the community by working as the Managing Director for a local non-profit.

“We won’t fix Congress by electing someone who just kicks the can down the road rather than making the hard decisions needed to solve the problem,” said Browning. “President Trump won the White House, in part, because Americans want business leaders from the private sector with real world experience. I know how to balance budgets, meet payroll in tough times, and improve conditions for workers so our economy can grow, and more families can achieve the American Dream.”
Rebuild Our Military & Keep America Safe
Dean agrees with President Trump when he said that: “History shows that when America is not prepared is when the danger is greatest. We want to deter, avoid and prevent conflict through our unquestioned military dominance.” Browning believes the spending cuts imposed on the budget by the sequester implemented during the Obama administration have weakened our military and made us less safe at a time when Russia, China and North Korea are growing stronger. “I will work to eliminate the sequester,” said Browning. “We need to provide the funding necessary to make sure the men and women in our armed forces are the best trained and best equipped fighting force in the world. We also need to have a long range perspective and take action to make sure our military, and our Navy in particular, is large enough and equipped with cutting edge technology to defend and advance our nation’s interests across the globe.”

Defend Conservative Values & Individual Freedoms
Dean is a proud pro-life Christian conservative and a lifetime member of the NRA who will defend our right to bear arms without qualification. Before stepping down to run for Congress, Dean served for 15 years on the Board of the Allentown Rescue Mission, which helps local homeless men through Christ-centered programs based on accountability and compassion.

“Too many Republicans call themselves “conservative” but don’t vote that way when they get into office on issues like gun rights and the sanctity of human life,” said Browning. “I will be different. From Day 1, I will be a rock solid conservative, and never waver in defense of our Constitution and our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Common Core, High Stakes Testing and School FundingCommon Core and the corresponding High Stakes Testing is yet another attempt by the federal and state governments to override local control of our public education system. We need a world class education system that produces graduates able to compete in the marketplace and fulfill their role as citizens of this great nation. Removal of local control through the imposition of Common Core and High Stakes Testing take us in the wrong direction and I am opposed to both. I believe we must do two things differently. First, we must give parents, all parents, a choice of where they send their kids to school. And second, we need to change the funding mechanism for schools. The use of property taxes to fund schools may have worked in the last century but it isn’t working in this one. School property taxes are unfair to homeowners, particularly those who are retired, and the use of property taxes create funding imbalances among schools that make it all but impossible for our schools to uniformly graduate students that are prepared to succeed in the global economy and who can contribute as informed citizens. It is time for school property taxes to end – period. As your Congressman I will fight the imposition of Common Core and will work on ways to incentivize states like Pennsylvania to move to another way of funding for their schools.